When it comes to the weather, I prefer to avoid sensationalist headlines exclaiming how exceptionally mild/cold/wet/dry/hot the current season is. I tend to take the long view; as my dad always says, “it’ll always come right in the end” – warm will be followed by cold, drought with rain.

But by any standard, this autumn really has proved to be exceptionally mild. In north Wales, where I live, November started off at around 20°C and temperatures since then have rarely dipped into single figures. It’s been very wet and very windy, but plants simply shrug off these extremes. At this time of year, temperature is the Governess of all things floral.

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